Jump to content

Moonton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moonton
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2014; 12 years ago (2014)
Headquarters
Minhang District, Shanghai[1]
,
China
Key people
  • Yunfan Zhang (CEO)
[2]
ProductsMobile Legends: Bang Bang
Mobile Legends: Adventure
Magic Rush: Heroes
Watcher of Realms
Magic Chess: Go Go
Mob Rush
Silver and Blood
Acecraft
Number of employees
2000+[3] (2025[3])
ParentByteDance[4][5]
Websiteen.moonton.com

Shanghai Moonton Technology Co. Ltd. (Chinese: 上海沐瞳科技有限公司; pinyin: Shànghǎi Mùtóng Kējì Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), commonly known as Moonton, is a Chinese video game company dedicated to gaming development, publication, and esports. The company operates offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Latin America, Hong Kong, and mainland China, among other locations.[6]

In October 2021, ByteDance acquired Moonton and it remains to operate independently.[7] In 2024, Yunfan Zhang became the CEO of Moonton.[8]

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (often abbreviated MLBB) is a mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Moonton. As of 2025, it has been reported to have over 1.5 billion registered users and around 110 million monthly active players. The game has ranked among the top ten most-played mobile games in more than 80 countries. It is distributed globally and maintains an international esports presence with professional leagues and tournaments across multiple regions.[9][10]

In 2026, MLBB Esports will transition to a five-region structure—Southeast Asia (SEA); Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA); Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); East Asia (EA); and the Americas (AMER). This framework unifies the global MLBB Esports ecosystem while empowering each region through tailored infrastructure and talent development pathways.[11]

The M7 World Championship, held January 3-25, 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia, became the most-watched mobile esports tournament in history. According to Esports Charts, the Grand Finals reached over 5.68 million peak concurrent viewers—a new record for mobile esports. [12]

History

[edit]

Moonton was launched in Shanghai, China in July 2014.[13] The company's first commercial release came in April 2015 with Magic Rush: Heroes, a role-playing game that launched worldwide excluding the domestic Chinese market.[14] Following the completion of Magic Rush: Heroes, Moonton began development for a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. Moonton launched Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) in November 2016, released worldwide excluding mainland China,[15] and became popular in Southeast Asia, notably in Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia, where it was the most-downloaded free mobile game app among iPhone users in 2017. [16][17] The game is distributed by Skystone in the United States[18].

In 2017, Moonton began building its esports ecosystem with its first MLBB offline esports tournament in Indonesia in May, followed by the inaugural MSC (MLBB Southeast Asia Cup) in September.[citation needed] In November 2017, the company launched the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) in Indonesia, Malaysia,[citation needed] and Singapore, expanding to the Philippines in March 2018[19]  and Myanmar in February 2019.[20]

The company established regional offices, opening its Singapore branch in May 2018 and Indonesian branch in October 2018. By April 2018, MLBB had exceeded 200 million total registered accounts, growing to over 1 billion cumulative downloads by October 2020, with peak monthly active users exceeding 100 million.[21][22]

In August 2019, Moonton launched Mobile Legends: Adventure worldwide, excluding Japan, Korea, and mainland China.[23]

In November 2019, the first Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Global Championship (M1) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with 16 teams participating from 14 countries.[24]

In December 2019, MLBB officially became a medal sport at the 30th Southeast Asian Games, marking its recognition as a legitimate competitive sport in the region.[25]

On March 22, 2021, ByteDance agreed to acquire gaming studio Moonton at a valuation of around $4 billion.[26][27]

MPL expanded internationally to Brazil and Cambodia in July 2021. By August 2021, MLBB's total registered accounts exceeded 1 billion.[28] The company diversified its content offerings, launching "Legends of Dawn - The Sacred Stone," the first MLBB animation series in August 2021, which accumulated 360 million views in its first run across multiple platforms globally.[29]

Mobile Legends: Adventure launched in Japan and South Korea in 2021 and reached the top position on the Apple App Store and Google Play free game charts in both countries. In the same year, MLBB ranked first globally in mobile esports viewing time, with an estimated 386 million hours watched.[30][31]  

In April 2023, Moonton commenced pre-registration for Watcher of Realms, a next-generation fantasy RPG game, with full platform launching in July 2023.[32]

In January 2024, Moonton and the Esports World Cup Foundation signed a multi-year collaboration agreement, with MLBB selected as an inaugural game for the Esports World Cup.[33] In October 2024, Watcher of Realms was launched in China mainland.[34]

In January 2025, MLBB officially launched in mainland China, marking the game's entry into one of the world's largest gaming markets.[35]  

On March 26, 2025, Moonton announced that publishing operations for ''Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' in the United States transferred to Skystone Games, with a new U.S.-specific version of the game becoming available on March 27, 2025, following the temporary removal of the original version from U.S. app stores earlier in the year.[36][37]

In November 2025, Moonton was announced as one of the official partners of the Esports Nations Cup, alongside companies including Chess.com and SNK, as part of the tournament’s commercial and competitive expansion.[38]

In November 2025, MOONTON announced the first Magic Chess: Go Go (MCGG) annual tournament—the GO1 World Championship (GO1), marking the game's first offline global championship.[39]

In January 2026, Moonton announced a five-region structure—Southeast Asia (SEA); Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA); Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); East Asia (EA); and the Americas (AMER). This framework unifies the global MLBB Esports ecosystem while empowering each region through tailored infrastructure and talent development pathways. [11]

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) as the first of the 16 world-class titles that national teams will compete in at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.[40] MLBB will also debut as a medalled event at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, one of the region's largest sporting events.[41]

Merchandise

[edit]

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Genre(s) Launch date Availability Platform(s)
2015 Magic Rush: Heroes Role-playing game April 2015 Worldwide (Excluding China) Android, iOS
2016 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Multiplayer online battle arena November 2016 220+ Countries and Regions
2019 Mobile Legends: Adventure Role-playing game August 2019 Worldwide
2023 Watcher of Realms Role-playing game July 2023 Global
2025 Magic Chess: Go Go Multiplayer auto battler February 2025 Asia-Pacific Region
2025 Silver and Blood Role-playing game June 2025 Global
2025 Acecraft Co-op Vertical Shooter[42][43] August 2025 Global

Television series

[edit]
Title Years Network
Legends of Dawn: The Sacred Stone 2021 WeTV and Iflix (International)

TV9 (Malaysia) NET. (Indonesia) Kapamilya Channel & A2Z (Philippines)

Awards

[edit]
Year Organisation / Event Region Recipient Award Ref.
2022 Malaysia Book of Records Malaysia MPL Malaysia Longest Running National Esports Tournament [44]
2022 Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China China MOONTON Games National Key Cultural Export Enterprise for MOONTON Games [45]
2023 Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China China MOONTON Games National Key Cultural Export Projects [46]
2023 Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China China Mobile Legends: Bang Bang National Key Cultural Export Projects [46]
2023 The Esports Awards Global Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mobile Game of the Year [47]
2024 MOBIES (Mobile Awards) United States Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Most Competitive Game of the Year [48]
2024 MOBIES (Mobile Awards) United States M5 World Championship Live Event of the Year [49]
2024 MOBIES (Mobile Awards) United States Falcons AP.Bren Mobile Team of the Year [50]
2024 GamingonPhone Awards Global Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mobile Esports Game of the Year [51]
2024 GamingonPhone Awards Global MOONTON Games Best PR / Marketing Team [52]
2024 GamingonPhone Awards Global Selangor Red Giants Mobile Esports Team of the Year [53]
2024 The Esports Awards Global Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports Mobile Game of the Year [54]
2025 Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China China MOONTON Games National Key Cultural Export Enterprise [55]
2025 Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China China Mobile Legends: Bang Bang National Key Cultural Export Projects [56]
2025 GamingonPhone Awards Global MOONTON Games Mobile Game Developer of the Year [57]
2025 GamingonPhone Awards Global Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno Mobile Esports Player of the Year [58]
2025 The Marketing Events Awards Global M6 World Championship Gold – Best Hybrid Event [59]
2025 The Drum Awards: Marketing APAC APAC M6 World Championship Gold – Gaming Category; Silver – Partnership or Collaboration [60]

Esports milestones

[edit]

MLBB World Championship (M Series)

[edit]
Event Year Location Notes Ref.
M1 World Championship 2019 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Featured 16 teams; reported cumulative viewership exceeded 40 million, with nearly 10 million total viewing hours. [61]
M2 World Championship 2021 Singapore Recorded a peak concurrent audience of approximately 3.08 million and more than 130 million cumulative viewers; received Best Esport Event of the Year at Gamescom Asia 2021. [62]
M3 World Championship 2021 Singapore Total viewing time exceeded 60 million hours; peak concurrent viewership reached approximately 3.19 million. [63]
M4 World Championship 2023 Jakarta, Indonesia Generated approximately 79.68 million viewing hours; peak concurrent viewership reached approximately 4.26 million. [64]
M5 World Championship 2023 Manila, Philippines Achieved a peak concurrent audience of approximately 5.07 million; reported as the most-watched MLBB World Championship to date. [65]
M6 World Championship 2024 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Recorded a peak concurrent audience of approximately 4.13 million; received Best Hybrid Event at the Marketing Events Awards. [66]
M7 World Championship 2026 Jakarta, Indonesia Breaks the viewership records to become the most-watched mobile esports event of all time, according to Esports Charts.[67] [68]

Regional leagues and other tournaments

[edit]
Event Year Location Notes Ref.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Indonesia Season 8 2021 Bali, Indonesia Reached a peak concurrent audience of approximately 2.4 million, setting a viewership record for the league at the time. [69]
MLBB LIGA LATAM 2021 Online (South America) Marked the first major Mobile Legends tournament organized for the Latin American region. [70]
MLBB Women’s Invitational 2022 Jakarta, Indonesia Reported among the most-watched women’s esports tournaments at the time. [71]
MLBB Women’s Tournament at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games 2023 Phnom Penh, Cambodia Recorded a peak concurrent audience of approximately 1.37 million; noted for record viewership among women’s esports events. [72]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "About Moonton". Moonton. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. ^ "ByteDance Shelves Sale of Monotone Game Studio, Picks New Chief".
  3. ^ a b "ByteDance weighs sale of gaming studio behind Mobile Legends". Borneo Bulletin Online. November 17, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "ByteDance acquires gaming studio Moonton at around $4 billion valuation: sources". Reuters. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  5. ^ "TikTok's parent company ByteDance acquired Mobile Legends developer Moonton". Mobile Gaming Hub. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  6. ^ Sheany (2018-11-09). "Topup Diamond ML". Jakarta Globe. Nusa Dua. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  7. ^ Daniels, Tom (2021-03-22). "ByteDance acquires Mobile Legends publisher Moonton at a reported $4bn valuation". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
  8. ^ "ByteDance appoints new CEO for Moonton as it consolidates video gaming business". South China Morning Post. 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
  9. ^ "Mobile Legends revenue worldwide 2025". Statista. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  10. ^ "From gaming to a global festival: Why Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the next big thing for brands". Marketing-Interactive. 2025-11-03. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  11. ^ a b Salim, Faizal (2026-01-25). "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang going global | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  12. ^ "MLBB redraws global eSports map as brands follow expanding audience". Marketing-Interactive. 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  13. ^ "About Us". MOONTON. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Yuan Jing, founder of Mutong (Moonton) Technology, interprets "Mobile Legends": From a loss of 300,000 US dollars in one day's promotion fee to becoming an Indonesian national mobile game".
  15. ^ "Riot Games suing Chinese developer behind League of Legends clone". GamesIndustry.biz. 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  16. ^ Harris, Iain (20 July 2018). "Moonton's popular MOBA Mobile Legends plunders $200m in global revenues". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  17. ^ Ismail, Izwan (2017-12-07). "Here is Apple's list of top apps in Southeast Asia for 2017". Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  18. ^ Xu, Davide (2025-03-26). "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang moves US publishing operations". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  19. ^ "MET Announces Mobile Legends Professional League Philippines". MPL. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  20. ^ "MPL Myanmar Season 2". Esports Charts. Esports Charts. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Mobile Legends: Adventure - Quick look at soft-launch version of new idle RPG". MMO Culture. 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  22. ^ Tan, Amanda "Tania Mae" (2020-11-03). "Mobile Legends surpasses 1 billion downloads | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  23. ^ CEDTyClea (2019-08-19). "Mobile Legends: Adventure steadily gaining following". BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  24. ^ Marges, Jason (2019-11-10). "M1 2019: A primer for the world's biggest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang clash | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  25. ^ "Sibol wins first ever SEA Games esports gold medal". ESPN.com. 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  26. ^ Kharpal, Arjun (2021-03-23). "TikTok owner ByteDance takes on Tencent after acquiring major mobile gaming studio". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  27. ^ "ByteDance acquires gaming studio Moonton at around $4 billion valuation: sources". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  28. ^ Hyrliková, Henrieta (2021-07-29). "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang expands MPL to Cambodia". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  29. ^ "ContentAsia eNewsletter (18–24 October 2021)" (PDF). ContentAsia. ContentAsia. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  30. ^ "When AFK meets JRPG: Mobile Legends Adventure is celebrating its 3rd anniversary with special rewards". Mynewsdesk. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  31. ^ "Mobile Legends: Adventure | Japanese - Games". QooApp. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  32. ^ ""Summon Heroes in New Next-Gen Fantasy RPG for Mobile & PC" - Games Press". www.gamespress.com. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  33. ^ "MOBILE LEGENDS: BANG BANG". esportsworldcup.com. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  34. ^ "潮汐守望者 - Data Overview | AppMagic". AppMagic.rocks. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  35. ^ Feed, TechNode (2025-01-10). "Moonton to launch Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in China on January 23 · TechNode". TechNode. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  36. ^ "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Transitions U.S. Publishing Rights to Skystone Games". TOPUPLIVE. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  37. ^ Xu, Davide (2025-03-26). "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang moves US publishing operations". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  38. ^ Kaser, Rachel (2025-11-26). "Esports Nations Cup adds Chess.com, Moonton and SNK as partners". GamesBeat. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  39. ^ "Magic Chess: Go Go unveils GO1 World Championship, makes historic Southeast Asian Games debut-Develop games and fun for players all over the world". en.moonton.com. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  40. ^ "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang confirmed as first game for Esports Nations Cup 2026 » Esports | Esports.gg". esports.gg. 2026-01-25. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  41. ^ "MLBB redraws global eSports map as brands follow expanding audience". Marketing-Interactive. 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  42. ^ Ralph; https://www.facebook.com/gamerbraves (2025-08-28). "Acecraft Launches Globally with Retro Co-Op Shooting, Motorcycle Prizes, and Gift Card Giveaways - GamerBraves". Retrieved 2025-12-11. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help); External link in |last2= (help)
  43. ^ "Acecraft takes flight worldwide: MOONTON Games launches the highly-anticipated retro hand-drawn co-op shooter with generous giveaways!-Develop games and fun for players all over the world". en.moonton.com. Archived from the original on 2025-11-11. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference MBR2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ "Moonton makes Shanghai Top 10 Cultural Enterprises list". subsites.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  46. ^ a b "National Key Cultural Export Projects (2023)". Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China.
  47. ^ "Esports Awards 2023 – Winners".
  48. ^ "Mobile Awards 2024 – Previous Winners".
  49. ^ "Mobile Awards 2024 – Previous Winners".
  50. ^ "Mobile Awards 2024 – Previous Winners".
  51. ^ "GamingonPhone Awards 2024 – Winners".
  52. ^ "GamingonPhone Awards 2024 – Winners".
  53. ^ "GamingonPhone Awards 2024 – Winners".
  54. ^ "Esports Awards 2024 – Winners".
  55. ^ "National Key Cultural Export Enterprises (2025)". Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China.
  56. ^ "National Key Cultural Export Projects (2025)". Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China.
  57. ^ "GamingonPhone Awards 2025 – Winners".
  58. ^ "GamingonPhone Awards 2025 – Winners".
  59. ^ "Marketing Events Awards – Winners".
  60. ^ "The Drum Awards APAC – Results".
  61. ^ Lojo, Michelle. "Fnatic ONIC Philippines sweeps way to M6 World Championship crown". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  62. ^ Lu, James (2020-12-07). "These are the 12 teams that will compete at the Mobile Legends M2 World Championship | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  63. ^ Elona, Jules (2021-08-09). "The highly anticipated M3 World Championship will take place in December | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  64. ^ "M4 World Championship overview". Yahoo News Singapore.
  65. ^ "M5 World Championship announcement and viewership". SPIN.ph.
  66. ^ "M6 World Championship viewership statistics". Esports Charts.
  67. ^ "MLBB redraws global eSports map as brands follow expanding audience". Marketing-Interactive. 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  68. ^ "M7 World Championship scheduling announcement". Tiebreaker Times.
  69. ^ "32nd SEA Games - Women's Tournament – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang". Esports Charts (in Russian). Escharts.com. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  70. ^ Hyrliková, Henrieta (2021-08-13). "Moonton partners with Community Gaming for MLBB series in LATAM". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  71. ^ "Bigetron Era crowned champs of MLBB Women's Invitational with 4-1 win over GPX Basreng". Yahoo News. 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  72. ^ "32nd SEA Games - Women's Tournament – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang". Esports Charts (in Russian). Escharts.com. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moonton&oldid=1336747386"